Author: Nahapetian Zhanna

RUSSIAN BUSINESSMEN TO FUND ELECTION CAMPAIGN IN ARMENIA
by Tagui Tovmasyan
Iravunk, Armenia
Nov 21 2006
“Russian businessmen will give money to the RPA”
Armenian President Robert Kocharyan has recently received a delegation
of 20 Russian businessmen of Armenian origin. The official press
release did not say why they came to Armenia, but it “smells” of
preparation for the forthcoming [parliamentary] election.
In fact, they were invited to Armenia by Samvel Karapetyan, a
well-known businessman in Russia. His brother Karen Karapetyan is
the leader of the People’s Deputy [parliamentary] group. Let us
recall that the leader of the faction said in April that if they
decide to set up a party, about 50 businessmen in CIS [Commonwealth
of Independent States] countries will support them.
But since Karen Karapetyan is a member of the Republican Party of
Armenia, it is not hard to guess that those businessmen will lend at
least partial support to the RPA. Incidentally the businessmen also
had a separate meeting with Serzh Sarkisyan, the defence minister
and chairman of the RPA board. According to some reports, the “super
minister” had to find a pretext to organize the meeting.

SPIRIT OF COOPERATION DOMINATES TURKIC SUMMIT
Mevlut Katik
EurasiaNet, NY
Nov 20 2006
The results of the November 17 summit of the leaders of Turkic-speaking
nations exceeded the expectations of many diplomats and political
analysts. The presidents of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan
and Turkey took the first steps toward the creation of a Turkic
commonwealth, giving an enthusiastic endorsement to efforts aimed at
strengthening energy and security ties.
The four leaders, along with Turkmenistan’s envoy to Turkey, gathered
at the Turkish Mediterranean resort city of Antalya for the summit,
the eighth such gathering of its kind, but the first held in five
years. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. Officials
from Uzbekistan, who had been slated to attend, ended up boycotting
the event due to a breakdown in relations with Turkey.
The participants signed a declaration committing the Turkic states
to strengthen economic and transport ties, while stressing “the
importance of the joint fight against terrorism, the proliferation
of weapons of mass destruction, drug smuggling, weapons smuggling,
human smuggling and other organize crimes.” The statement also
endorsed the concepts of Turkey’s accession to the European Union,
and a peace settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict that leaves
the territory under Azerbaijan’s control.
“We declare that we support peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict in accordance with the principle of territorial integrity
of Azerbaijan, and that we will further support fraternal Azerbaijan
in this dispute,” Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer said. [For
background see the Eurasia Insight archive].
The four leaders underlined both the “increasing importance of the
Caspian Basin for the energy security of Europe” and the “strategic
importance of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan [BTC] oil pipeline opening and
the [expected] completion of the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum [BTE] natural
gas pipeline.” They also stressed the importance of the possible
addition of trans-Caspian transportation routes to both the BTC
and the BTE. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. Sezer
stressed in his opening speech the importance of involving energy-rich
Turkmenistan in the summit process, and vowed that Ankara would work
to facilitate energy exports from the Caspian Basin to Europe via
Turkey. Turkic leaders underlined in the Antalya declaration that
“increasing energy cooperation would positively and directly contribute
to economic and political stability” in Eurasia.
Kazakshtani President Nursultan Nazarbayev took observers, and even
many participants, by surprise by proposing the creation of a Turkic
parliamentary assembly. Nazarbayev went on to nominate former Turkish
president and prime minister Suleyman Demirel to serve as the proposed
assembly’s first chairman.
Nazarbayev’s proposal was indicative of his interest in exploring the
feasibility of a full-blown Turkic commonwealth. “We have to discuss
it,” Kazakshtani Foreign Minister Foreign Minister Kasymzhomart
Tokayev told EurasiaNet, referring to the commonwealth possibility.
It would appear that Nazarbayev, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev
and Kyrgyzstani leader Kurmanbek Bakiyev now see closer cooperation
as a way to leverage the collective influence of “200 million Turks,”
as Nazarbayev put it, in pursit of specific policy aims.
“The problem of one Turkic speaking nation must be the problem of other
Turkic speaking nations,” the Anatolia news agency quoted Aliyev as
saying. Observers interpreted his comments as meaning Turkic states
should collectively push for results in Turkey’s EU accession process
and Azerbaijan’s Karabakh peace talks that are satisfactory to Ankara
and Baku respectively.
If the Turkic states actually opted to coordinate diplomatic action,
they might have the collective muscle to alter the existing equilibrium
in many geopolitical matters. In the case of Turkey’s troubled drive
to join the EU, for example, a Turkic commonwealth could influence
Brussels’ decision-making calculus by playing the energy card, letting
it be known that a rebuff of Ankara could hinder the EU’s access to
Central Asian energy supplies.
Kyrgyzstani diplomats also stressed that closer cooperation would
enhance Bishkek’s international profile. Kanat Tursunkulov, a top
Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry official, said President Bakiyev’s attendance
at the summit, despite the “recent troubles” in Bishkek, underscored
the Kyrgyz government’s position that closer cooperation among Turkic
states is a top political priority. [For background see the Eurasia
Insight archive].
Commenting on the outcome of the summit, a top Turkish diplomat
said, “The era of romantic embracing has ended; the era of concrete
cooperation has started.” Nazarbayev, Aliyev and Bakiyev all quietly
expressed a desire for their respective countries to host to the next
Turkic summit. At the same time, participants emphasized a need to
proceed cautiously, seeking to dispel any impression that they are
rushing toward institutionalizing the group.
Beyond the steps toward closer cooperation, the Turkic summit will be
remembered for the public airing of a diplomatic feud between Turkey
and Uzbekistan. Some news reports claimed that Uzbek officials stayed
away from the gathering to protest the final declaration’s wording on
the Karabakh settlement. However, a senior Turkish official said the
reason for Tashkent’s displeasure was Turkey’s decision to join the
United States in supporting a draft measure in UN General Assembly’s
Human Rights Council that would condemn human rights violations
in Uzbekistan.
The official was outspoken in his criticism of both Uzbekistan’s
rights behavior and Tashkent’s reaction to Ankara’s vote. “It is
time that some countries learned that democracy and human rights
are essential to integrate into the global system,” he said. “Turkey
will persistently work to promote democracy and human rights for the
region`s own benefit.”
Turkey’s decision to vote for the draft Human Rights Council
resolution was “a reflection of our ideals and understanding of
the importance of democracy and respect for human rights,” the
official continued. “Turkey has been criticized for similar reasons
[human rights violations] in the past, but we never turned it into
a bilateral issue, and chose to make improvemenst in our [democracy
and human right] records instead.”
Such blunt talk would appear to mark a significant shift in Turkish
policy, as Turkish officials had unitl now avoided open criticism of
Uzbek government action. It may be that Turkey’s desire to meet EU
accession criteria, especially the need to bolster its human rights
credentials, is playing a role in the adoption of a toughter line
toward Tashkent. The official also indicated that Ankara is growing
tired of Uzbek President Islam Karimov’s demands. “They [Uzbek
officials] also accuse us of supporting the Uzbek opposition, citing
[the fact that] opposition leader Mohammad Solih freely travels to and
lives in Turkey. Mr. Solih is free to travel anywhere he wants to go,
and travels to Norway, Britain and the United States. Why is Turkey
being singled out?” the official said.
Editor’s Note: Mevlut Katik is a London-based journalist and analyst.
He reported this piece from Antalya where the summit took place.

OSCE TO PRESENT EXPERT REVIEW ON THE DIGITAL RADIO AND TELEVISION BROADCASTING IMPLEMENTATION DRAFT
Public Radio, Armenia
Nov 20 2006
Presentation of the OSCE Expert Review on the Digital Radio and
Television Broadcasting Implementation Draft Plan of the Republic
of Armenia followed by the public discussion will take place on 22,
November 2006.
The event is organized by the OSCE Office in Yerevan, Office of the
OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media (OSCE RFOM) jointly
with the Open Society Institute Assistance Foundation-Armenia in
co-operation with the Ministry of Transport and Communication of the
Republic of Armenia.
The expert review has been provided by the OSCE RFOM at the Ministry’s
request and is available online in Armenian and in English at
The event will be opened by Ambassador Vladimir Pryakhin, Head of
the OSCE Office in Yerevan, Mr. Vruyr Araqelyan, Deputy Minister of
Transport and Communication and Dr. Ana Karlsreiter, Advisor to the
OSCE RFOM. The author of the Exert Review, Dr. Katrin Nyman Metcalf,
will share her views on the best international practices in the
digital switchover plans and in particular present recommendations
with regard to the Armenian draft plan.

ARMENIAN SCHOOL CATERS TO DIVERSE STUDENTS
Monideepa Banerjie
NDTV.com, India
Nov 18 2006
A school in Kolkata has just celebrated its 185th anniversary. It’s
not any ordinary school but one run by Armenians for Armenians from
across the world.
Of 80 students, only two are Indian Armenian Christians, the rest
are from Iran, Iraq and Armenia.
Merchants from the central Asian country came to Kolkata in the 16th
century and now their progeny number barely 100, but the school is
striving to keep India’s Armenian connection alive.
It was 185 years ago, a Kolkata-based Armenian merchant set up a
school for children of fellow Armenians who had made the eastern city
their home.
Later it gradually turned into an international educational hub for
Armenian Christians worldwide.
In the usual Class I, students, all from Iran, are much older than
regular school beginners.
The students do not know English and are being taught here how to
speak it. Once they master it, they will go to appropriate classes.
English paramount
But learning English is of paramount importance, in fact, the main
reasons why they left Tehran for Kolkata.
“I came here to study because it is easier to go abroad from here
for higher studies. And in Iran the standard of English was very
low. We were doing three periods every day of one and a half hours and
English only once a week. Here we do it every day and it is better,”
said Aden Dawoody, a student from Iran.
The Armenian School is affiliated to the ICSE board. Iran apart,
most students in the school are from Armenia, one from Iraq and only
two from Kolkata.
At one time, the Armenian population in this city numbered in
thousands. But time and migration have reduced them to barely
a hundred.
Zaveh Stephen, an Indian Armenian is one of the 100.
“I learn Armenian language and I am almost fluent in the language.
Because mixing with the boys for so many years, it has almost become
my mother tongue,” said Zaveh.
Upgrade facilities
But times have changed and the educational needs of the Armenians
have changed.
Father Oshagan Gulgulian, manager of the school, feels they need to
upgrade the facilities.
“The world is moving toward modern technology, computers. Instead
of being simply an elementary school we need to change into more
technical school. That is our future plan,” said Father Gulguilan.
Kolkata’s Armenian community may be dwindling but they are determined
to nurture Armenia’s ties with India, the shared heritage of 500 years.
No one put it better than a young Armenian girl, a student of class
IX and a big Bollywood fan.
sp?category=National&slug=Armenian+school+cate rs+to+diverse+students&id=96580

TURKEY: ARMENIAN GENOCIDE ISSUE SPURS GOVERNMENT ACTION
AKI, Italy
Nov 16 2006
Istanbul, 16 Nov. (AKI) – Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul has
suggested Turkey may seek the opinon of an independent international
panel on the controversial Armenian genocide issue. “Retired diplomats
and reliable foreign law experts are studying the case”, Gul said
on Wednesday. The remarks come amid growing pressure on Turkey to
acknowledge the early 20th century massacre or Armenians under the
Ottomans. Last month the French senate approved a bill which would make
it a criminal offence to deny that the deaths amounted to genocide.
Observers have also suggested that last week’s victory in US
congressional elections by the Democrats – who have closer ties with
pro-Armenian lobbies in America – could mean an end in Washington’s
current acquiescence to Ankara on the subject.
In 2004 Turkey tried to establish a joint Turkish-Armenian commission
of academics to study the issue, but the initiative failed when
Armenia rejected the proposal.
If Armenia accepts Turkey’s latest proposal, then the case would
be examined before the Internatonal Court of Justice in The Hague,
Netherlands. A commission would be set up consisting of, an equal
number of Turkish and Armenian judges and would be chaired by a
national of a third country.
The commission would examine archives in Turkey, Armenia, Russia,
the United States, France, Germany and Britain. It would also examine
military records, demographic changes, hospital records dating from
the time of the killings mostly from 1915-20.
Still, not all the signs from Turkey have been reconciliatory. Also
on Wednesday Turkish land forces commander Gen. Ilker Basbug said
Turkey would cut all top level military contacts with the French
military on account of the Armenian genocide bill which still needs
to be approved by the French National Assembly, the lower house of
parliament, before it becomes law.

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Nov 17 2006
Antalya Summit starts today
[ 17 Nov. 2006 15:39 ]
Antalya Summit of the Turkish Speaking Countries has started today.
The summit is attended by Turkey’s President Ahmed Nejdet Sezer,
Azerbaijan’s Ilham Aliyev, Kazakhstan’s Nursultan Nazarbayev,
Kyrgyzstan’s Kurmanbek Bakiev.
Turkmenistan is participating in the summit at embassy level, however
Uzbekistan has no representative.
Turkish President Ahmed Nejdet Sezer opened the summit, saying this
event is the start of a new era.
“We see global changes in the world. Cooperation between Turkish
states has become inevitable. Kars-Akhalkalak-Tbilisi-Baku railway
will be a bridge joining Turkish countries,” he said.
Ahmed Nejdet Sezer said Turkey has always been together with Azerbaijan
in the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev expressed his gratitude to his
Turkish counterpart for the high-level summit.
This kind of events paves the way for new cooperation levels among
Turkish countries. We have left all difficulties behind, we have
defended our independence,” he said.
He said the Turkish states are developing very rapidly at present.
“Azerbaijan’s economy growth rate is the leading one in the world.
The economy growth rate hit 26 percent in 2005, but we forecast that
the growth will reach 34 percent this year. The stronger economy we
have, the quicker solution we can find to the problems,” he stated.
Touching upon the Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan and
displacement of over one million people from their native lands
by Armenians, Mr. Aliyev said Azerbaijan can also lay many claims
against Armenia.
“Irevan (Yerevan) khanate was the territory of Azerbaijan. But, we
don’t lay such claims. We want our lands to be liberated in a peaceful
way, however our hopes is running out. Nagorno Karabakh- a criminal
regime- has remained far from international control. They are making
various illicit drugs there, they are preparing for terrorisitc acts
there. The world countries, in particular Turkish ones should pay
attention to this problem. UN Security Council’s four resolutions
on unconditional withdrawal of Armenian troops from Azeri lands
remain unimplemented. CE resolutions haven’t yet been implemented
either. Armenia’s aggressive policy has created undesirable situation
in the region,” he said.
Mr. Aliyev also said Kars-Akhalkalak-Tbilisi-Baku railway line will
be a direct bridge between Azerbaijan and Turkey and Kazakhstan’s
joining the project is very estimable.
He also expressed his satisfaction with the activities of TURKSOY.
Ilham Aliyev expressed his support for Turkey’s accession to the EU.
“Azerbaijan is very concerned over pressures Turkey faces in the
accession process.” He stated.
Kazakhstan’s President spoke of the importance of the union of Turkish
Speaking Countries, suggesting that Higher Council of the Turkish
States should be established and Turkish 9th president Suleyman
Demirel should be the Council President.
Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiev said that economic, political and
cultural cooperation between the Turkish countries should be deepened.
Antalya Declaration will be adopted at the end of the Summit. /APA/

NEW YORK LIFE AGREES TO PAY ARMENIANS $8 MILLION
By R.J. Lehmann, Washington bureau manager
BestWire
November 14, 2006
NEW YORK (BestWire) – Nearly $8 million in settlement checks are
going out this month to more than 2,500 descendents of victims of the
Armenian Genocide, part of a multinational class-action settlement
with New York Life Insurance Co. over unpaid life insurance benefits
owed to the families of genocide victims.
Approved in February 2004 as a $20 million global settlement, the
agreement called for the life insurer to pay inflation-adjusted
benefits, administrative costs, and plaintiffs’ attorneys fees for
more than 2,000 pre-1915 life insurance policies that were held by
Ottoman Armenians and that company records still listed as outstanding.
The disbursements come after settlement board reviews of thousands of
claims verified 2,515 that could be traced legitimately to policies
sold by New York Life. U.S. descendents will collect $2.6 million of
the settlement proceeds, while descendents living in Armenia will
receive $3.4 million. The remaining $2 million will be distributed
among descendents living in 24 other countries.
“We are thrilled that thousands of Armenians will finally get the
insurance compensation they deserve,” said Brian Kabateck, one of the
lead attorneys for the plaintiffs, in a statement. “Armenians don’t
give up easily and this settlement is a testament to that.”
In January 2005, a fund representing “unclaimed or heirless”
policies previously distributed $3 million in benefits to Armenian
civic organizations. Groups that collected from the fund included
the Armenian Church of North America’s western and eastern dioceses;
the Armenian Apostolic Church’s western and eastern prelacies; the
Armenian Apostolic Catholic Exarchate; Armenian Missionary Association
of America; the Armenian General Benevolent Union; Armenian Educational
Foundation, and the Armenian Relief Society.
(BestWire, Jan. 26, 2005)
The Armenian Genocide, also known as the Armenian Holocaust, refers
to events that took place during World War I in the Ottoman Empire,
which has evolved into modern Turkey but which, at the time, controlled
most of the Middle East. Most historians, including the International
Association of Genocide Scholars, agree that from 1915 to 1920, Ottoman
Turks killed more than 1.5 million men, women and children of Armenian
heritage and drove millions more from their homes during the conflict.
However, the Turkish government disputes the historical accounts,
and some countries — including the United States, United Kingdom,
and Israel — do not formally recognize the period as a “genocide.”
However, the period is acknowledged as a genocide by the governments
of Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Russia,
and Greece, as well as 39 of the 50 U.S. states.
Founded in 1845, New York Life began selling policies in Europe in
the 1870s, and had sold about 8,000 policies in the Ottoman Empire
by 1915, when the company pulled out of Europe as World War I began
to rage. However, the company’s review of its records showed only
about half of the Ottoman policies were purchased by Armenians. The
company believes about one-third of its Armenian claims were paid in
the war’s aftermath, when the company hired an Armenian attorney in
Constantinople to adjust claims and search for heirs.

EU ADOPTS ACTION PLAN WITH ARMENIA, AZERBAIJAN
IRNA, Iran
Nov 14 2006
EU adopts Action Plan with Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia Brussels,
Nov 14, IRNA EU-South Caucasus The European Union is adopting Tuesday
three joint Action Plans with Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, under
the European Neighborhood Policy.
EU Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighborhood
Policy Benita Ferrero-Waldner said the Action Plans will boost
relations between the EU and each of the countries concerned, as well
as regional cooperation.
“I believe today opens a new chapter in our relations with each of
our three partners and with the region as a whole. The Action Plans
offer new opportunities that will bring concrete benefits to people
throughout the region,” she said in a statement.

Press Release
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Father Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:
PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon
Armenian version:
HIS HOLINESS ARAM I MEETS WITH THE
BUDDHIST PATRIARCH OF CAMBODIA
In the framework of the ecumenical conference organized in Antelias on
November 12-15, the Buddhist Patriarch of Cambodia, His Holiness Samdekh
Sangaritch arrived in Antelias with his assistant.
The Armenian Catholicos had a private meeting with the Patriarch in his
guest lounge in the Veharan on November 10. The two spiritual leaders
discussed various issues related to Ecumenical dialogue.
His Holiness spoke to the Cambodian Patriarch about the Armenian nation,
Armenian Church, Armenia and the Armenian Cause. Mrs. Teny Simonian, a
senior official in the World Council of Churches also attended the meeting.
##
View the photos here:
*****
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the Ecumenical
activities of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician Catholicosate, the
administrative center of the church is located in Antelias, Lebanon.

TURKEY TRIES TO ESCAPE ITS HISTORY
By Dikran Ego Eastern Star News Agency
Assyrian International News Agency
Nov 14 2006
Stockholm — While the negotiations between Turkey and the EU are
proceeding, something that Turkey doesn’t want to know about has
happened. On October 19th, 2006 the news about the discovery of a mass
grave in the village of Dara, outside Nusaybin, came out. When locals
were digging graves for some deceased villagers, an underground cave
was found. It turned out to be a mass grave.
The Turkish military, which came to the site, did their investigation
and as soon as they were done with it they attempted to silence down
the discovery and to forbid all spreading of information about it.
Despite this ban the news paper “Ulkede Ozgur Gundem” reported about
this discovery on October 19th 2006, with pictures of the mass grave.
Turkish authorities tried with every means to keep it from becoming
widely known. But the news paper that published the news dug further
into it and they come in contact with professor David Gaunt at
Sodertorn University in Stockholm. David Gaunt has done a lot of
research about Seyfo — the Assyrian genocide. The first results of
this research are now ready. He has published them in his first book
about Seyfo. David Gaunt has in his research used many different
sources but also Turkish sources that confirm this genocide.
Concerning the mass grave that was found David Gaunt has the following
theories:
If most of the bodies are male, this can indicate that they are the
remains of Assyrians and Armenians that were gathered in Nusaybin’s
prison on June 13th, 1915 and then murdered on June 15th, 1915.
If the bodies turn out to be mostly women, then they are most probably
the remains of catholic Armenians, that were victimized in a mass
murder on June 28th, 1915.
If the bodies are mixed of different genders and ages it is most
likely that they are the remains of Assyrians from Nusaybin.
Apart from these theories there are other possible answers to who is
buried in the mass grave.
The grave is located quiet a bit away from Nusaybin, but it is located
right outside the village of Dara, which was populated by Assyrians
and Armenians during Seyfo.
Because of the mass grave’s location the bodies are most likely the
remains of the 120 Assyrian and 150 Armenian heads of families that
were gathered on June 14th, 1915 and murdered outside the village.
IHD, Insan Haklari Derneði, a Turkish organisation working with human
rights issues, has in an open letter to the ministry of the interior
demanded an investigation of the mass grave discovery and answers to
the following three questions:
To establish if the mass grave has something to do with the deportation
of Assyrians and Armenians during the year 1915.
To clarify if the bodies belong to Assyrians and Armenians.
To clarify this, a group of experts consisting of historians, forensic
physicians and independent scientists has to be appointed.
It remains to be seen how the Turkish authorities will manage this
issue. Will Turkey dare to face its dark history?
–Boundary_(ID_8iZ7fIzUdWEz2WDvf4AODA)–